From Buffalo to Oregon, Mike Mennenga has reached the Final Four

BUFFALO, NY - Even though a team or player from Western New York won't be in this year's Final Four, a coach with ties to the area will.

Oregon assistant coach, Mike Mennenga, spent years here in Buffalo still considers the area a second home. Mennenga started his coaching career back in 1997 at Maine and then took a job at UB under Reggie Witherspoon in 2001.

After five years at UB, Mennenga went to Iowa State for a year then came back to Buffalo as a high school assistant with Nichols from 2007-2009. During those two seasons, Nichols went 48-6.

Mennenga stayed in the Northeast and took a job as the Director of Player Development at Providence before heading to his home state of Illinois. He was Illinois-Chicago's assistant for one year.

Then came his final coaching chapter (for now) in Buffalo as an assistant under head coach Jim Baron at Canisius. He spent two seasons there before taking the job at Oregon.